Today, the Democrats opened their playbook to page 213 – the section labeled “Racism and Sexism” – and read directly from it with regard to Ambassador Susan Rice. Rice has been under fire, justifiably, for lying to the American public on the Sunday after the murder of four Americans in Benghazi; President Obama has defended her in bizarre fashion, suggesting that she cannot be criticized because she is “an easy target” and was acting on his orders anyway.

Now, the Democrats of the House have decided that the real reason Americans are attacking Rice isn’t her incompetence, or her lying. It’s that she’s a woman, and she’s black.

Today, twelve female members of the House suggested that Rice was under scrutiny because she’s a black woman. “It is a shame that anytime something goes wrong, they pick on women and minorities,” said Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), who will be taking over the Congressional Black Caucus. Fudge conveniently ignores that one of Rice’s main critics has been Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), who is female. She also ignores that President Obama is black, and that he has been criticized for his poor performance for years.

But it got worse. Completely ignoring Ayotte’s involvement in the anti-Rice movement, Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI) actually likened attacks on Rice’s fitness for office to physical assault. “To batter this woman because they don’t feel they have the ability to batter President Obama is something we the women are not going to stand by and watch,” she stated. “Their feckless and reckless speculation is unworthy of their offices as senators.” Eleanor Holmes Norton, the DC delegate, followed that one up with this: “We will not allow a brilliant public servant’s record to be mugged to cut off her consideration to be secretary of state.”

Mugged? Battered? How about the four dead Americans in Benghazi? Are they relevant? Or are the Democrats simply too busy with their despicably divisive tactics to pay attention to the corpses in those flag-draped coffins?